Spoiling myself ...

 I wasn't sure what to make for supper tonight but after visiting the grocery store after work, and also after a haircut, I saw some excellent McIntosh Apples. I rushed home and whipped up an apple crisp... using Aunt Sadie's recipe. Well, actually it is my take on her recipe where I add a cup of cranberries. It was just so good. I even cut several slices of cheddar cheese to go with it, the way you add cheese to apple pie.  I was thinking of ice cream but since it was supper after all, I went to with the cheese. Just excellent. I actually ate a third of the baking dish... that was two helpings. Can't wait for breakfast!

A legend ...

Being an aviation buff, I was saddened to learn of the death of Chuck Yeager this week. He was indeed a legend and in 1947 was the first human to fly through the sound barrier. This was at a time when people didn't know what would happen to anything moving that fast. It was an amazing time in aviation history when people were flying faster and higher than ever before. He was a test pilot at a time when people were learning for the first time just how wild and crazy flying could be. Yeager was also a WW2 ace and in one case, shot down five enemy planes in one day! By the way, Glennis was Yeager's wife.

Numbers

I am not a math major by any means.

But this is working looking at.

161 million people voted in U.S. election.

Ten per cent of that is 16.1 million.

One per cent of that is 1.6 million.

One tenth of one per cent is 160,000 votes.

Trump supporters claim nearly 142,000 wrong votes were cast.

That's LESS than one tenth of one per cent.

Let that sink in. One TENTH of ONE per cent. 

I am okay with that. 

A presidential memoir

So within 24 hours after its release, Barack Obama’s new book a promised land sold roughly 890,000 copies this week. It is believed to be the highest ever opening day sale of a memoir of a U.S. president in modern history.

Associated press reports that copies are flying off the shelves and the publisher Penguin Random House is doing its best to keep up. 
Interestingly by comparison, Bill Clinton’s book My Life had opening day sales of about 400,000 and George W. Bush’s book Decision Points had opening day sales of 220,000.

This is the kind of book that should be distributed in colleges and universities so that young people can learn what it means to be presidential. 

The death president

President Trump's legacy is that he will be known as the Death President. I have tried to avoid commenting on him since he was defeated in the U.S. election. It upsets me that he is trying everything he can to overturn the popular vote. It is even more baffling that the Republicans seem to be going along with it. There was a time one could be proud of being an active member of the Republican party. Now it is an embarrassment. What is wrong with those people?
With Trump refusing to concede and fighting the Biden transition team, he is deliberately putting more Americans at risk. He does nothing to help. He is a do-nothing guy. People are dying. Not just hundreds of people, but hundreds of thousands of people. More than a quarter of a million Americans have died of COVID-19 on his watch. This will be Trump's legacy. The death president. 

During the time of president Herbert Hoover, in the 1930s, any small shantytown that housed poor people became known as Hooverville. I am thinking that overcrowded cemeteries will become known as Trumpville.

Canada's national war memorial is the best

 Have to say Canada's national war memorial is one of the most dynamic I've ever seen. A lot of these memorials around the world are just hunks of fancy granite. Canadians can be proud of this amazing sculpture in downtown Ottawa, topped by the symbolic bronze figures of Peace and Freedom.

 I remember when I first saw it I was about 10 years old and I stared at it for the longest time, just admiring the faces and grimaces of the exhausted soldiers busting through the gates, moving forward in apparent victory. Maybe they were just glad to be getting back home. But this sculpture is much more. There are sailors, airmen and even highlanders. There are nurses, stretcher bearers, artillerymen on horseback pulling a battlefield caisson and a cannon; 22 figures in all. What a fabulous tribute to all the amazing Canadians - the men and women-  who fought for our Peace and Freedom. 

(Photo Credit: Alan MacLeod

Boots!

Okay, so I guess I have been bitten by the boot bug. I was searching online earlier this year for some winter boots. I like the pull-on style and had some good ideas of what I liked. Then I saw western boots. Now I confess that over the years I have always thought of buying myself a pair of "Cowboy Boots". I have always like them, ever since I was a kid. When we moved to Manitoba -- or went out west as people would say -- My Grandma MacLean bought me a pair. They were black with white details and I really liked them. 

Anyway, back to the present. I was searching around in Amazon and saw some pop up on the screen. So I began a bit of research and found that as footwear, western boots are usually better made and use better materials than most other boots and shoes. They are also touted as being unusually comfortable.  That could explain why the price is usually significantly more than other boots and shoes. I think they're kind of cool, especially since your jeans cover most of the boot and you don't really notice them unless you look hard. 

My research also found that some of the best made boots -- Boulet Boots -- are made here in Canada.  They have fans around the world, they hardly do any marketing and their boots are expensive, usually starting at about $300 a pair and going to more than $1,000. 

I opted for some U.S. made boots and found to my surprise that many of the companies in America make great boots at good prices. It might be the result of the pandemic, but some prices are amazing. I was pleased to find a nice pair that listed for nearly $300 in the company catalogue going for almost half price on Amazon. They were almost sold out and down to only two sizes. Luckily, my foot size is 10-and-a-half. So here I am as the proud owner of a pair of Ariat Heritage Roughstock boots. Nice eh.  

Nice work or what!

I have to say I am pleased to work in that part of Sudbury where local artists have been doing some nice work. Sudbury muralist Monique Legault, one of our neighbours here on Elgin Street, has just wrapped up her latest project. It's on one of the walls leading into the Elgin Street underpass that goes over to Riverside Drive. 

The work is a combination of poetry and paintings of older buildings from the downtown Sudbury in days gone by. I was happy to check in on Monique over a period of a few weeks to watch her work and take photos. Today I ran into some local Sudburians who had heard of the mural but had never seen it up close. They were amazed with what they saw. I have to agree with them.

Thanksgiving was good ...

 We followed to the rules as best we could last weekend and enjoyed a Thanksgiving celebration at the camp in Westree. Because of the pandemic, the Ontario government was asking that family celebrations be limited to 10 people. So we did and Denise had the cool idea of everyone posing for a photo with our masks on. It worked out pretty nicely. It was also cool that several of the Westree neighbours dropped by for a quick hello. It is always nice to see them. 

The big news is that Scott and Jennifer purchased the camp from Scott's parents, Don and Denise. It means the amazing Alexander Family tradition of hospitality will continue.  They didn't miss a beat and so we had an amazing turkey dinner. We really had the nicest time. We managed to get in an afternoon of ATV-ing off to see some great scenery and enjoy a bit of a picnic on a fall afternoon complete with a nice campfire. We also enjoyed another little tradition of setting up fizzy cans of pop and then shooting at them with the air rifles. It was fun. I am sure I would have had more photos but I was too busy eating and drinking.

I know I can't wait for my next trip to Westree. 

It's hard to explain bad behaviour

Distressing. Unlike a lot of people I was not smiling when Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. After all he is an overweight, older man and definitely in a high risk group. He could have been seriously sick. Interestingly, unlike most Americans, he gets free health care so he was looked after. But Trump, who was born with a silver spoon, feels entitled. He put others at risk by having an entourage join him in a helicopter trip to the hospital. More than a dozen other people in the president's circle at the White House have tested positive. When Trump got back from the hospital on Monday, he posed for a photo op without a face mask and then walked right back into the White House. He may feel better, but doctors say he is still spewing virus germs. Why the hell does a person act like that? Who puts up with that bad behaviour?

Americans do.

Also, pollsters are finding that a huge percentage of his supporters still believe in Trump and that he is doing and saying the right things. People are baffled at that. When any right-thinking person would shake their head, so many others are willing to overlook his lying, his mental illness and his bizarre behaviour. Some experts have suggested that Americans are just afraid to speak out against bullies.

I am not surprised. As a student of history, I can think back to the days of the late 1930s when most Americans were not willing to speak out against Adolph Hitler and the Nazi movement in Germany. In fact, a lot of Americans supported him. It wasn't until December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Habour that America finally caught up with the rest of the world and did the right thing.

A new plane

I am always excited about seeing new aircraft, but in this case it is a bit of a mixed emotion. Canada has purchased 16 new search and rescue aircraft from Airbus.  This is the new C295 and it is a great looking plane, except that it is made in Europe. 

The plane will be replacing two amazing aircraft models ... the DeHavilland Buffalo and the DeHavilland Caribou, a couple of beautiful planes made in Canada back in the 1950s and 1960s. Not only were they made in Canada they were made in Downsview where I lived as a child. I remember going by the aircraft plant almost daily and seeing the new aircraft rolling off the line. The planes were so good they were purchased by air forces around the world, including the United States and Australia. I always had a bit of excitement over the years whenever I saw the Buffalo or Caribou in flight. By the way, this plane No. 501 will be based at RCAF Base Comox.

New gold mine

 I was more than pleased this past week to note that the Cote Lake gold project north of Sudbury is finally moving ahead. I covered this story as long as 10 years ago when other mining companies owned the property and and then again about five years ago when IAMGOLD bought up the land and promised to build a new mine. 

This one will be different. Aside from creating a residential camp in the middle of nowhere (apologies to my Watershed friends) to house the mine workers,  the mine will use new technology. We're talking about massive mining trucks that will have NO DRIVERS.  That's right, they will use proven robotic trucks to haul the ore out of the pit and up to the refinery. 

Another interesting tidbit is that the mine is being built on part of a lake bed. That means the existing Cote Lake is being moved to allow for mining. That's not an entirely new idea but it is indeed an incredible and expensive undertaking. I expect there will be plenty of stories... and good jobs. It will be interesting to see what this project does to the price of land nearby. 

Stay tuned. 

RIP Martin Chapman

 So it was a sad thing this week when I had a to write an obituary notice for a man who was a co-worker many years ago. I really admired Martin Chapman, the former CBC Radio newsman in Sudbury. He was a great reporter and an able mentor to so many young journalists. He was indeed an old-school broadcaster with a booming baritone voice, but he had a great sense of humour and loved to entertain people with stories and performances of bluegrass music. It was also hard to call up other co-workers to get their comments about Martin and to have them share some memories. He was a good guy. The world just seems a lesser place now that he is gone.

Tipping and other stuff

 I noticed in the National Post this week a long article about how some Toronto restaurants will stop tipping and will instead impose an 18 per cent surcharge.  Not everyone is in favour of that. 

Now having seen my two children working hard over the years in the hospitality industry I am generally inclined to tip generously. I don't do it for good service, I do it because the servers and restaurant workers deserve a better income.

That said I find that I am usually in a good mood when I go out to dinner or lunch and have others cook my food and serve it to me. How can I not be? How good can things get when other people feed you? Of course we have to pay for it, and I do not begrudge that for a second.

If you are going to complain about the cost of going out to dinner, then shut up. And stay home. I am just pleased that I can afford it.

I find that when I am enjoying myself in a restaurant then somehow the serving staff pick up on that and they too become nicer and work harder to please the customer. 

By the way I was in North Bay on the weekend and was pleased to spend some time in restaurants. Enjoyed myself immensely. I got a room for a couple of days at the Sunset Inn on Lakeshore. I enjoyed a good book, some beer and some time at the beach. Life is good.

Less clutter on the counter ...

This morning, I threw out the knife block I had in the kitchen. I mounted the new magnetic knife holder thingy on the wall. It works just fine. I was going to get just one ($25) but being the paranoid person than I am, I bought two of them. The magnets are strong enough to hold everything and the wall space is at the every end of the counter, so if I drop a knife it won't land on my toes.

Something old and new ...

Well this brings back memories for sure, so I figured I would give it a try, again This is a safety razor, first developed by the Gillette Company just over 100 years ago. When I was a teenager, everyone used these to shave every morning. I cannot remember when I switched over the cartridge style plastic razors, but I know they don't always give the best shave. Come Monday morning I will install a brand new ultra sharp safety blade into the razor and submit my face and neck to the what I hope will be an ultra clean smooth shave. If I can get five or six good shaves a week, then I will be pleased.

COVID news coverage ...

Sitting in the newsroom on Tuesday I asked a co-worker what I could use at a press conference to hold my little audio recorder. Normally I just hold it close to the face of the person talking to get a good recording of what the person has to say. Not anymore. We all have to keep our distance.
"Use a hockey stick" said the co-worker. I thought he was joking. He wasn't. He said Molly from the TV station used a hockey stick to hold her microphone. Good idea. I drove out to see Jennifer. We went to the shed in the backyard. There had to be a dozen old sticks there. So I showed up at the news conference with the hockey stick this morning and no one even blinked. I taped the recorder to the end of the stick and it worked just fine!

Heat

Well it’s the Fourth of July and I feel terrible for many American friends who are struggling with the COVID-19 comeback. Too many people are sick and dying. More people need to take this seriously.

In the meantime, I am struggling. Sudbury has a 30+ heat wave and I have a rough time with that. Stayed in the apartment all day Friday with two fans running. Oh well, at least there is no ice on the windshield to scrape. My car is like a sauna unless I drive for ten minutes so the AC can cool it down. Gotta take another cooling shower.

A love song...

I was amazed recently to see a YouTube video of a 1960s song that appears to be making a comeback of sorts. It is a love song that hit the charts in 1965.  It was in Billboard’s Top 100 that year – Number 4 in August ’65 performed by The Righteous Brothers. These guys; Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, were not brothers. They were performing in night clubs in the early 1960’s. In one place, a group of U.S. Marines, mostly Blacks, couldn’t believe how intense and soulful their songs were. Many people didn’t believe the singers were white. One marine remarked “You brothers have righteous music.” And so the name stuck.
The interesting thing on YouTube is that so many young people – young women mainly – are reacting to the song like it is the most wonderful thing they’ve ever heard. It is easy to understand why.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYj2hex99gY
When you think about the time this song hit the charts, the Viet Nam war was ramping up. Ten of thousands of young men were on the other side of the world. Their sweethearts were back at home. People were in love and missing each other. It didn’t matter if you were black or white.
So then you have Bobby Hatfield in a voice as smooth as warm chocolate crooning;

“Ohhh,  my love, my darling, I’ve hungered for your touch….

“I’ll be coming home. Wait for me. Wait for me.

You’ve got to go and listen to this song on YouTube to get the full effect. Hatfield is amazing. He performed the song live, with just an orchestra, no Auto Tune, no back up singers. Just the man, singing his heart out.
Don’t forget that when these guys hit the charts – twice that year – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Four Seasons, Stevie Wonder, Elvis and Bob Dylan were already dominating the scene.  
Hatfield sings solo on this song, but the Brothers  were in full bloom that same year when they released You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, another chart topper. Fans of Bill Medley will remember his voice when he performed a duet years later with Jennifer Warnes in the movie Dirty Dancing, singing I’ve Had The Time of My Life. Another amazing song.

Hoping for the best ...

So here we are with the first full day of summer. It used to a wonderful time for young people finishing up the school year and looking forward to a time of fun and relaxation. But now there is a lot of worry for what the future holds.  Education is the most important thing we can provide for our young people. Ontario has two and half months to figure out how to get it right. When students return to school in September they might be in classrooms, they might be doing remote learning online or have a combination of both. I don’t have the answers but I hope our education gurus can find a way to help our young people learn and get they answers they need to go forward and make good decisions. And if we have to pay higher education taxes then I am okay with that.

Sudbury Saturday night ...

Was more than pleased to have a nice Saturday night fire in the valley with the gang at Scott and Jennifer’s place. Don and Denise moved back into Sudbury so they were there along with Christine and Victoria who made the drive up from the city. Tyler and Emilie joined along with Nathan and Dara. So it was nice to sit around and chat even though the bugs were out. But there was just enough woodsmoke to keep the bugs from being too nasty. A few drinks, some great conversations and it was the perfect way to kick off summer. It was the best way to catch up with everyone and I was thinking how perfect it was after two and half months of isolation.  I think we will have to do this again.

Camera

For years I have carried a camera with me, no matter where I go. Just in case I might see something that would make a good picture for the newspaper. Things have changed. It seems everyone with a cell phone has a good camera these days. And for people who do bad things, more and more of that is being recorded on camera. Sadly, we are seeing more instances of bad cops doing stupid things.

A case in point is the cop who kneeled on the neck of George Floyd which surely looks like it contributed to Floyd’s death. In recent days I have seen half a dozen other videos of stupid cops doing stupid things and because it was on camera, these people will pay, either with lost jobs or criminal charges.

It is the new way of things. If people do stupid things, they will likely be caught on camera.

Great ketchup ...

A few years back, I switched my preference from Heinz Ketchup to French's Ketchup, mainly because Heinz had closed its tomato processing plant in Leamington, Ontario and moved operations to Mexico.
I switched over to French's because it continued to use Canadian tomatoes, even though their ketchup is made in the U.S. It tasted good.
In the past few months, I changed my preference again. I now use President's Choice Ketchup. It is made in Canada and it tastes just fine. And it is usually less expensive. I made a nice western sandwich this week and I was pleased to have another great tasting ketchup.
Don't be shy. Give it a try.

Yes! Back in the game on Monday ...

Not sure if this is good karma or just good luck, but I have been invited back to work. I got the call Monday and after a very quick interview, I agreed to a 10-month contract that begins on June 1^st. I will be back in the Sudbury newsroom and back in the journalism game.
(See my posting below from March 20, 2020.)

I have to admit I was slowly getting used to the idea of being at home and doing whatever I liked, especially when I could hit the couch mid-morning with a great cup of coffee and a good book. For several hours a day I would totally immerse myself into whatever great novel I was reading. What a luxury.

Then there were times I would stare at the wall and think, what the hell am I doing? My life is passing me by and I am stuck here. And then I would think of so many other people in the world who are indeed struggling in hard situations. So, slap my face and think positive! So yes, this is a good thing and I am blessed with a good life.

A powerful message ...

I don't know if this has ever happened before. The entire front page of the Sunday New York Times -- May 24,2020 --was presented with no articles and no advertisements. It was nothing but a list of American citizens who have died as a result of the COVID-19 virus. A very powerful message ...

Clever poetry

I like poetry that is clever.
Following is from the New York Times this week.

-- A rhyme for Orange --
Worth sharing...

:)

Lapis Lazooli, a poet and truly,
A man with some dubious talents.
Said to me, last July with a glint in his eye:
“What I’ll tell you will throw you off balance.”

I admit I was leery, ennui-ed, somewhat weary;
Just what was he cooking this time?
“I’ve unlocked the enigma, destigma-ed the stigma;
And for orange I found a real rhyme.”

Now, it’s really no news that New Yorkers schmooze,
We’re verbal and vocal, loquacious.
But in Coney Islond, we will not be conned,
“Gimme a break, that’s fallacious.”

He tugged at his beard — it was worse than I feared —
And he whispered, his voice was a hiss:
“Neither Ogden, nor Parker, nor Stephen Sondheim,
Dared to attempt such a perilous rhyme.
Forget about Seuss ’cause he knew he’d be lost;
Not Wordsworth, not Shelley, not Shakespeare, not Frost;
Not Yeats, not a one in this august mélange,
Would ever endeavor a rhyme for or-anj.
But I — ”

He then cleared his throat trying hard not to gloat,
(I was doing my best not to cringe.)
“The word that’s a rhyme, that’s mundane yet sublime:
Orange — its mate is doorhinge!”

Doorhinge?! Doorhinge?!
Now, I am no yokel, I’m Brooklyn, I’m local,
Won’t ever be tricked, teased nor taken.
“Well, I’ll tell ya, Lapis, that’s nothing but crappis,
You’re messhugah, you’re mad, you’re mistaken!”
“No!
You’ve no ear for whimsy, your knowledge is flimsy,
Van Gogh never could sell his art.
Galileo was hounded, Prometheus grounded.
Here’s the moment, my friend, that we part.”

A rough time for young people

 One has to feel bad for young people who were looking forward to their high school graduation and prom. The world is a confusing place for a lot of young people and now this COVID-19 pandemic is making it a lot worse. I know that graduation and prom are huge things for a lot of young people. It is a celebration of something they have achieved; a celebration with friends and people that are special to them. But all they are hearing is that there is no celebration for them; to practice social distancing and to just suck it up. It’s a hard thing to deal with.

Sadness

Feeling sad over the crash of the Snowbird jet that occurred in Kamloops yesterday. It is terrible that a member of the team lost her life. I know there will be an investigation and I wonder if the age of the aircraft will be considered.  The Canadair Tutor was built in the 1960s as a trainer. These planes are more than 50 years old. The Tutor was retired as a trainer by the RCAF about 20 years ago, but it continues to be used for aerobatics.

Withdrawal?

I might have to do some research but I am pretty sure I am experiencing withdrawal every time I finish a book. I have read five books in the past two weeks. Nothing special, just novels.  I find I get totally immersed in what I am reading for five or six hours at a time. The only reason I stop is because my butt is sore, my back is sore, my neck hurts or my eyes are sore. And then I feel exhausted and usually take a half-hour nap. I finished a book about an hour ago and found I was feeling let down. I knew the end of the story had to be coming, but still I was disappointed when I finished the book. So I took a nap. Now I have just taken the first shower in three days and realized I have to scoot out and get some groceries. When I get back time to have something to eat and maybe start a new book!

Summer is on the way. Time for a buzz!

It was nice to drop by at Jennifer's place this week where she was kind enough to try her hand as a barber. For me it was a perfect time to get a backyard buzzcut. So thanks Jenn!
One of my cousins remarked on Facebook that this photo made me look like my old man. Well, I am the old man now! :)

Electric vehicles are great ... but not in the North

I am thinking the jury is still out on the verdict of whether electric vehicles will grab a significant portion of the consumer market anytime soon.

I purchased a newer vehicle in December all the time thinking that I should hold out for an electric vehicle, or at least a gas-electric hybrid. The other vehicle was 10 years old so I figured it was time.

Living in Northern Ontario, my first instinct was to have a vehicle that was reliable in the winter. I honestly don’t believe the electric vehicle market is there yet. My new Jeep is a gas guzzler, but not at bad as my old Nitro. Still I am enjoying the current low gasoline prices, even though I have no where to go!

There is a different story for commercial vehicles, that can afford to have charging stations and support systems for batteries. In mining for example, if you purchase an electric vehicle, you likely purchase a spare battery unit at the same time.

When one battery needs recharging, you replace it with a freshly charged battery and go back to work in minutes. You put the other battery on charge.

We did this in the 1980s when I was a miner at Kidd Mine in Timmins. One of my jobs was to drive the electric underground train hauling ore. If the loco began losing power in the middle of the shift, we pulled into the shop and switched out batteries. It took about 10 minutes. Enough time for a smoke.

This would be nice if you could do it with your new electric car in 2020. It doesn’t work like that. Also, with communities in Northern Ontario – indeed in most of Canada – being rural and remote, it is not always easy to find a charging station.

That’s the key reason for me. Winter and long distances. I don’t see electric vehicles measuring up anytime soon. I can foresee news stories in the next few years where motorists with electric cars run out of power and get stranded in a snowstorm or on a busy highway. Yes, it happens with gas vehicles already, but I believe it will be more of an issue with electric cars.

Coping with COVID ...

Thinking what it will be like in Canada – or anywhere – a year from now. This is the most bizarre time ever. I remembering reading about the Spanish Flu of 1918 – 1919 and thinking something like that could never happen again.

I never imagined that a virus could bring the world to a standstill so quickly. When we get the all-clear, will it really be safe? Or will we all be willing to take a chance that we won’t get sick from something else? I guess it shows how frail we human beings really are in the big scheme of things.

It also brings home the reality of things that are important. Nothing seems to matter to me anymore other than the health and safety of the people close to me.

If there is anything good from all this, hopefully it is that people have demonstrated the importance of communal teamwork. There are so many good examples of people or organizations doing things to help other people. I hope we all learn to appreciate people more.

More reading ...

It has to be one of my guilty pleasures; reading something when I don't have to read... like when I am working. I was pleased to pick up my Kobo recently to discover that over a period of months, I had purchased several books that I knew I would read someday. I read two books last week, just zoomed through them as I was enjoying my isolation, like most other Canadians.
I also noticed that my supply of coffee is dwindling along with Baileys while I read … so I know I've done a lot of reading.
On Friday, I selected a book by the well-known author Leon Uris. It kept me up late Friday night and has taken up most of my time on this Saturday. I had to cook supper so I have taken a break. As I was reading through this classic -- Battle Cry -- it occurred to me that it was such a good story it could have been a movie.
Imagine my surprise when I googled the title and found it was indeed made into  movie in 1955. It really is a compelling story.
Oh well it is past 6 p.m. time for supper, some whiskey and more reading.
Stay home, stay healthy.

I can read!

In the mornings, I like to browse the Internet and check the newspaper websites to get caught up on things. I have noticed that more and more of these websites have short videos instead of printed news stories. This is annoying. I prefer to read a news story. If there is something confusing or contentious I can re-read the sentence or paragraph to get things straight. Videos don't do that. If you don't get all the details in the first run, you have to pause and rerun the video. That doesn't always work. Here is a snippet from the front page of today's National Post.  Three out of the four stories on the left were videos. I am not lazy. I don't need a video.  I can read.

Happy birthday Tyler ...

It was fun to get together with Jennifer and Scott to help Tyler celebrate his 20th birthday. Yes he was born on April 1. There were only five of us there -- myself, Scott, Jenn, Tyler and his girlfriend Emilie. Nathan had to work.  So it was a legal gathering :). Keeping with the serious nature of the event, I was pleased to give Tyler a package of toilet paper! I know he will think of me every time he uses it! LOL. But it was a nice time to chat and get caught up on this crazy new world we all live in.

Things change ...

I came to Sudbury just over 15 months ago to take over as the new editor of the Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal. I was more than pleased to meet and get to know all the people I worked with. Sadly, many of those people including myself were laid off this week. Our company was sold to another publishing company that is all on the internet. They do not have any newspapers or magazines. So it is nice that the company is continuing but I feel bad for many people caught in the middle of this change.
I went into the office today to clean out my desk and send out a few notes to freelance writers and others I have worked with. I was more than pleased with the kindness of their words and messages of encouragement.
With the COVID-19 emergency, this is a bizarre time in our lives. But I am confident we will all get through this with fresh outlook.

A few days at home ...

After being at the annual Prospectors convention in Toronto last week, I figured I could take a few extra days to be at home especially since one Sudbury man tested positive for COVID-19. There has been a lot of concern about all the other people who attended the convention. So I am lucky that I have a job where I can work from home. The best part is that I have no symptoms and I am feeling fine. Just to be sure, I will be contacting Sudbury public health today for screening. That being said, I had fun at the convention and got a whole lot of work done as well.

One other thing.  Just before Christmas our newsroom had a coffee mug gift exchange. Some of the folks will kid me about being the oldest person in the newsroom.  It is all good natured.  One young intern bought me this coffee mug, which I love. As I am self-quarantined this week after attending the PDAC convention, this mug is so appropriate!😄

Relaxing now

I spent four days this past week at the annual Prospectors convention in Toronto. It is the world's biggest mining exploration trade show and Northern Ontario had the biggest pavilion there.
It was a lot of work meeting people, doing interviews, taking pictures and writing stories but it was all worth it.

There was even a protest outside the convention centre where people expressed their displeasure at the mining industry. Interestingly, many had cell phones, which are all created with Canadian metals and minerals. Many wore gold and silver jewellery. One woman was upset that I took her photograph when she stood in front of me to block me from taking photos of protesters. Interesting.

Regardless I met a lot of nice people, enjoyed a lot of hospitality and was glad I attended. One of the fun things was going to all the parties. I was at the Northern Ontario party Monday night when I was pleased to bump into my niece Valerie Maltais and her husband Denis Flood. How cool was that? (I missed getting their photo, but Val took a selfie of the two of us.)
I also met tonnes of other people I had not seen in quite a while. I think the best part of the convention is meeting folks you've met over the years and getting caught up on how they are and what they're doing now. Mining is an international business and so it is not unusual to meet people who have travelled to Toronto from around the world. I even met a radio producer from Asia who said he knew me because of the stories I had written for mining, including the murder at the mining convention.

New technology is great

It was a few years ago in Timmins that the doc said I was Type-2 Diabetic. So my body does not process sugar as it should. So that means having foods and beverages that have a lot less sugar. This is good, but it means checking my blood-sugar levels all the time. That can be a bit irritating because it means pricking your fingertips with a tiny lancet and then using a test strip to measure the blood sample.
Today I began using a new system. It's called the Freestyle Libre. You attach a sensor to you upper arm. It's about the size of a loony and it had a tiny filament that embeds in your skin. The sensor measures your blood sugar every minute and stores the data for two weeks. To make it work properly you wave the scanner device over the sensor once every eight hours.
Everything is downloaded to a computer app. So this is my new thing. Cool.

Virus and hockey sticks...

Happy February eh. I was enjoying my Sunday morning when I came across an unusual news story. Canada could have a shortage of hockey sticks because of the coronavirus in China. Both Bauer and CCM which are major suppliers of hockey sticks have factories in China. Both factories are closed.  Will be interesting to see how this story develops. 

The other story that is confusing is the fact that protests continue because of the decision to construct the natural gas pipeline in Alberta and BC. Some First Nations people are setting up roadblocks in the west while in Eastern Canada, rail lines are being threatened. Protests are fine but at some point those who protest need to be challenged to come up with solutions and to pay damages to those who have carried out free enterprise.

I have to say that so far our winter has been mild, and so I am okay with it. I am looking forward to spring, but I do wonder what our summer will be like. I hope it is not too hot or too dry. Lots of people are worried about forest fires. I just have a hard time with the heat.

Work has been going well. I just finished my Spring edition of the mining journal on Friday. Just in time because I will be travelling to the annual prospectors show in March in Toronto and then to Thunder Bay for the prospectors showcase in April. I know I will enjoy that. I am hoping at some point to meet Shawn Ryan again. He is a Timmins fellow who has made millions with new gold discoveries in the Yukon. A few years ago he was dubbed King of the Klondike. Interesting.

Cobalt. The best old town ...

I was pleased to drive through Cobalt, Ontario this week. I was on the road up to Timmins and then over to Kirkland Lake, some of the best known gold-mining towns in the world.
I got off the main highway for a bit to visit Cobalt, known as one of the Ontario's most historic towns. Of course it was also home to the Cobalt silver rush in the early 1900s. So many amazing stories took place there.
If you ever get a chance, check out the book: We Lived a Life and Then Some, by Charlie Angus and Brit Griffin.
I was pleased to get photos of a couple of landmarks: The Miner's Home Tavern and the Cobalt Mining Museum.

So just to quote the opening verse of The Cobalt Song:

Let's sing a song of Cobalt,

If you don't liver there that's your fault...

The new year ...

So the new year has arrived and all is good. I called my landlord last week and offered to submit all 12 rent cheques for the coming year. He said fine. I said how much. He said same as last year, no increase. Well that made my day!
Was out to see Jenn and Scott and the boys on Sunday and stayed to watch the hockey game. What a nail biter as Canada took the gold medal over Russia. That had to be one of the best World Juniors games ever.
I also took a bit of time to try out the new drone, in an outdoor setting. It was excellent and performed better than I expected. Of course, I pushed things a bit and the drone crashed into a tree! Then it landed on hard ice and show. But it was okay. It still runs fine. I expect to fly it a lot more and to become a much better pilot.